INDUSTRY NEWS

Lasers unveiled at Photonics West extend available applications

A variety of laser products were introduced at Photonics West in San Francisco, USA, for use in a wide range of applications, which will allow companies to enter new markets.

IPG Photonics Corporation launched a wide portfolio that included: a ECO family of kW class Ytterbium fibre lasers with a wall-plug efficiency exceeding 40 per cent and an estimated operation time between service and intervention of five years; a Mega Pulse line of nanosecond fibre lasers with energy per pulse up to 100mJ and an average power up to 5kW; and a family of single-mode green fibre lasers providing up to 500W average power in CW and QCW modes with a wall-plug efficiency above 15 per cent.

The company also released: a range of high power visible fibre lasers with a wavelength selection of green to red; industrial grade UV fibre lasers in both 355nm and 266nm, operating in pulsed or CW modes; families of industrial pico and femtosecond fibre lasers; andvarious versions of pulsed pure fibre and hybrid fibre to the crystal lasers for the MIR spectrum range of 2 - 4.5µm, including the first practical femtosecond laser source in 2400-2500nm spectral range based on Cr:ZnS polycrystal elements.

‘We are unveiling a group of products that provide a multitude of new solutions to customers,’ said Dr Valentin Gapontsev, CEO of IPG Photonics. ‘Our expanded selection of lasers allows new and existing customers to [increase] the available markets for IPG lasers, including semiconductors, LED, solar, displays, processing of thin films, entertainment, 3D cinema, 3D printing and many other exciting applications.’

‘The new laser is ideal for powering a range of high precision applications in bio-imaging, bio-medical and microprocessing,’ said Klaus Madlener, managing director for Spectra-Physics.

Available in infrared and green wavelengths, HighQ-2 has a footprint of less than 222 x 204 x 101mm and is an OEM laser for 24/7 operation. The laser is equipped with long-life diodes, a sealed optical cavity design, and is manufactured in a controlled, clean room environment.